Marcom M&A Volume Slightly Increases in 2025 Compared to 2024

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the marketing communications (marcom) industry have undergone a significant transformation over the last ten years, moving away from rapid expansion strategies to a more strategic and disciplined approach focused on consolidating infrastructure. This evolution has been analyzed by agency research firm COMvergence, which highlights how M&A activities are driving the industry towards AI-powered marketing platforms that rely on robust data, cloud technology, and scalable ecosystems.

One of the most significant M&A deals of the past year was Omnicom’s acquisition of IPG, a move that added 53,000 employees and a substantial $10.7 billion in revenue to Omnicom’s portfolio. This acquisition marked the end of the era of the “Big 6” holding companies, reshaping the industry landscape significantly. While there were 55 marcom M&A deals in 2025, slightly more than the 52 deals in 2024, it still lags behind the peak of 127 transactions in 2016. The Omnicom-IPG deal alone accounted for a significant portion of the $13.1 billion in revenue that changed hands in the industry.

Aside from mega-deals like Omnicom-IPG, the analysis reveals two main types of transactions driving M&A activity – large-scale infrastructure consolidation focusing on AI, cloud, and data platforms, and targeted specialist acquisitions aimed at enhancing digital, influencer, CRM, commerce, and AI capabilities. Interestingly, the majority (67%) of M&A deals in 2025 involved firms with fewer than 100 employees, signaling a shift towards expertise-driven acquisitions rather than simply scaling up the workforce.

Over the past decade, the analysis of 845 M&A deals has shown that 64% of them involved digital and data specialists, representing 57% of all employees acquired through these transactions. The report emphasizes the increasing strategic importance of data-led assets, particularly those centered around AI, identity, cloud, and infrastructure platforms. While creative and media acquisitions remain prevalent, they tend to be smaller in scale and headcount compared to infrastructure-focused deals.

Furthermore, the analysis uncovered a rising trend in AI-focused deals, with 20 such transactions recorded over the decade, the majority of them occurring post-2023. These deals are characterized by their specialized and targeted nature, as global players integrate AI expertise into broader data and cloud ecosystems rather than acquiring standalone businesses. This shift underscores the growing significance of controlling infrastructure as a primary value driver in today’s marcom M&A landscape.